Quarantine Cuisine: Oven Baked BBQ Pork Ribs

BBQ ribs on the grill back home at the float cabin.

We really miss the BBQ grill up at the float cabin. Practically every night, Wayne would cook meat or fish on the grill to go with the sides I made in the cabin kitchen.

In the beginning of our stay here at the Bellingham condo, our meals were varied. Now, after eating in for four months, our menus have become repetitive. I saw in the Fred Meyer flyer that spareribs were on sale. I decided to try cooking them in the oven instead.

I decided to follow BBQ Oven-Baked Ribs by Makinze Gore at Delish. I used the directions to prepare and cook the ribs. I didn't use the BBQ sauce portion. Instead I used my favourite commercial Sweet Baby Ray's Original BBQ Sauce. It's like a taste of home.

Click here to see the complete recipe. My modifications are in italics.

Oven Baked BBQ Pork Ribs

Ingredients:

A dry rub adds flavour.

2 pound baby back ribs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I omitted)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

Bake covered first.

Rinse the ribs under cold water, pat dry, then peel off the tough “silverskin” membrane over the bones if the butcher hasn't already done so. Use a paring knife to loosen the edge and pull.

In a bowl, stir together the ingredients for a dry rub. I omitted the brown sugar. Massage the mixture into both sides of the ribs. Let the ribs rest for an hour or more to absorb the flavours.

Baste with BBQ sauce rib side first.

Place the ribs on a prepared baking sheet. Cover with foil. I used my large roasting pan with its rack and lid. 

Preheat the oven to 300° and bake the ribs meaty side up low and slow until very tender, about 2 hours. I added a small amount of water to the pan to create moist steam during cooking.

Prepare your BBQ sauce unless you use a commercial variety like I did.

Broil after basting one more time.

After one hour, turn the ribs over bone side up and continue to bake covered.

After two hours remove the cover, brush BBQ sauce over the bone side. Return to the oven and bake uncovered at 350° for an additional 15 minutes.

Turn the ribs to meaty side up and brush with BBQ sauce. Return to the oven and bake uncovered at 350° for an additional 15 minutes.

Turn the oven to broil. Brush the meaty side one more time with BBQ sauce. 

Ready to eat to celebrate an indoor Canada Day 2020.

Broil until the sauce starts to caramelize, 2 to 4 minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn.

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian friends.

The combination of low and slow cooking and broiling at the end makes the ribs almost like they came off the BBQ grill. Mine turned out great, minus the grill marks.

BBQ ribs were a great way for us to celebrate an indoor Canada Day on July 1. If you are in the States, why not try them for the 4th of July.

What did you fix for your holiday celebration? - Margy

Quarantine Cuisine: Strawberry and Rhubarb Crisp

Growing rhubarb in a barrel at the float cabin.

Back at the float cabin I grow rhubarb in a large plastic barrel on the deck. My rhubarb never gets really large, but it was always tasty. My little put usually gave me enough fresh rhubarb for three crisps during the summer months.

Here in the city I had to buy my rhubarb at the store. I order online and do parking lot pickup so I didn't get to pick my stalks. One of the three I got was the largest I've ever seen, but it seemed tender.

Dave, our good friend in Powell River, is a master crisp maker. He gave me his recipe. That's a real friend. But my recipe file is back home so I went back to TasteofHome.com to find a one. Click here if you want to see the video that goes with it.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Crisp

Fruit mixture ingredients.

Ingredients

Fruit Mixture:

3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups sliced fresh rhubarb or frozen rhubarb, thawed
2 cups sliced peeled apples or sliced strawberries

Crisp topping ingredients.

Topping:

1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Vanilla ice cream, optional

Directions

Clean and cut rhubarb into 1" pieces. Wash and cut strawberries in half. I also had some frozen leftover blueberries and blackberries that I also added to the fruit mixture.

Clean and cut the fruit ingredients.

In a large bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add rhubarb and strawberries; toss to coat. Spoon into an 8-in. cast-iron skillet or other ovenproof skillet.

Cornstarch will thicken fruit juices during baking.

In a small bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, butter, flour and cinnamon until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over fruit. Bake at 350° until crisp is bubbly and fruit is tender, about 45 minutes.

Add the topping then bake.

A sweet treat for dessert.

If desired, serve warm with ice cream. It also makes a good breakfast bowl, warm or cold, the following morning.

What have you been making to satisfy your sweet tooth to go with your home cooked meals? -- Margy

Quarantine Cuisine: Scalloped Potatoes

Hot cheesy scalloped potatoes.

The United States and Canada extended the border closure and quarantine requirement for an additional month. That means it's time for me to get back into the Bellingham condo kitchen and make some comforting food.

I had potatoes that were getting old, so I decided to use them for scalloped potatoes. I went to my favourite online cooking site, Taste of Home and selected their Never-Fail Scalloped Potatoes recipe.

Never-Fail Scalloped Potatoes

TasteofHome.com

Ingredients:

Organize the ingredients.

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 cups peeled and thinly sliced potatoes
1 cup thinly sliced onion


Directions:

Slice the potato and onion.

My modifications are in italics.

Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. To keep them from browning while you work, place them in a bowl of cold water. Slice the onion. Set these ingredients aside until the sauce is made.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk to prevent lumps. Bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Click here for a video.

Making the cheese sauce.

Remove from heat and stir in the grated cheese until melted.

Layer the potatoes, onion and sauce.

I love cheese, so I increased the amount to 2 cups, reserving half a cup to melt over the top at the end.

Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Drain the potatoes. Place half of the potatoes in the dish and layer with 1/2 of the sliced onion and half of the cheese sauce.

Repeat the layers with the cheese sauce on top.

Bake covered at 350° for 50 minutes. My oven took 60 minutes for the potatoes to soften.

Uncover and continue to bake until the potatoes are tender and bubbly, about 10-15 minutes longer. I topped the dish with the reserved half cup of grated cheese at the end and continued to bake it uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.

Make it a Meal:

I oven baked seasoned pork chops during the last 30-minutes the potatoes were in the oven. A chilled steamed artichoke with mayonnaise rounded out our comfort meal.

Comfort food centered around cheesy scalloped potatoes.

What have you been having for comfort food these days? -- Margy

Quarantine Cuisine: Easy Semi-Homemade Pineapple Carrot Cake

Easy semi-homemade carrot cake.

In the past months, I've shared meals prepared while self-isolating in Washington State. Things are reopening, but our age group is still encouraged to stay home.

The Food Channel used to air Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee. She combined store-bought items with fresh ingredients to make foods that tasted like they were from scratch.

I looked online for a carrot cake recipe that started with a boxed mix. I chose Easy Pineapple Carrot Cake from the Eat at Home Cooks website. 

Easy Pineapple Carrot Cake

The ingredients ready to go.

Ingredients:

• 1 carrot cake mix
• 1-2 small carrots grated
• 8 oz crushed pineapple drained
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Fresh carrots and canned pineapple.

Instructions:

My modifications are in italics.

Mix all of the cake ingredients together with an electric mixer until well blended. I read the directions on the Duncan Hines box and it only called for one and a half cups liquid so I reduced the oil from 2/3 to 1/2 half cup. I used a spoon rather than a mixer.

I used a spoon rather than a mixer.

Pour into two greased 8" round cake pans. I don't have round cake pans, so I used a 7x11-inch Pyrex pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  

Because my batter was deeper in one rectangular pan, it took about 50 minutes for the toothpick to come out clean. Towards the end, I checked every five minutes.

Cooling.

Cool completely before frosting.

Rather than making cream cheese frosting from scratch, I used Duncan Hines Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting.

This one cake gave us dessert for four nights. It made a nice, but not overly sweet, end to our warmed up freezer meal entrees.

Easy semi-homemade pineapple carrot cake hits the spot!

 What are you making to satisfy your sweet tooth? -- Margy

Quarantine Cuisine: Creamy Tuna-Noodle Casserole

Saute the onions for better flavour.

Right now comfort foods hit the spot. What's more comforting than Tuna Noodle Casserole.

I can make it from memory, but decided to check online for some hints. After looking at a few recipes, I decided on Creamy Tuna-Noodle Casserole from Taste of Home. I've found other good recipes at this website, so check it out.

Creamy Tuna-Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:

Organizing ingredients helps me cook better.

Tuna-Noodle Casserole:
5 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 cup frozen peas
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup fat-free sour cream
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup 2% milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 5-oz cans light tuna in water
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper

Topping:
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:

I used the noodle pot as my mixing bowl.

I made a few changes to the recipe. Those are denoted with italics.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook the noodles according to package directions for al dente, adding peas during the last minute of cooking. Drain. Instead of adding the peas to the boiling water, I thawed and mixed them into the sauce mixture.

In a large bowl, combine soup, sour cream, cheese, milk and salt. Stir in tuna, onion and pepper. Add noodles and peas.

Bake at 350°. I added the potato chip topping after 15 minutes.

Toss to combine. I used the noodle sauce pan instead of a bowl. I like using fewer utensils to make cleanup easier. I omitted the green pepper and sauteed the onion in a little margarine until it was translucent before adding it to the sauce mixture.

Transfer to an 11x7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. In a small bowl, toss bread crumbs with melted butter. Sprinkle over top. Instead of using bread crumbs, I crushed potato chips for the topping.

Bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.

Dinner was served in bowls. First course was Caesar salad. When we were finished, I washed the bowls for the second course.

Caesar salad came first.

The second course was the Creamy Tuna-Noodle Casserole. When dinner was over, cleanup was very easy.

The washed bowls then held our comfort food entree.

What have you been making for comfort food? -- Margy

Quarantine Cuisine: Apple and Berry Crisp with Oat Topping

Adding apples to my berry for a big crisp.

My cooking right now includes desserts to finish our meals with a sweet touch.

My weekly grocery pickup from Fred Meyer always includes berries. If needed, freeze any uneaten ones before shopping again. Today I thawed my stash to make a crisp.

I wanted to refresh my memory about oatmeal topping. I chose Apple Crisp with Oat Topping by realnakedchef on Allrecipes.

Apple and Berry Crisp 
with Oat Topping

Fruits mixed right in the baking dish.

My Fruit Ingredients:

6 scant of cups berries (I had strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and leftover cranberry sauce)
3 medium peeled and sliced apples
4 tablespoons white sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Lots of tasty topping!

Oat Topping Ingredients:
This is a half recipe for my 9" X 9" baking dish.

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup quick minute oats (I like extra oats)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sliced pecans (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup room temperature butter or margarine

Directions:

Coat a medium-sized baking dish with vegetable spray. To make it easy, use the baking dish as a mixing bowl. Mix together the berries and sliced apples. Sprinkle white sugar, flour (to thicken the juices while baking) and cinnamon over the top and stir until well blended.

Use a bowl to mix the brown sugar, oats, flour, sliced pecans and cinnamon for the topping. Use a pastry cutter or whisk (my choice) to cut the butter into the oats mixture until it resembles pea-sized crumbs.

Double duty in the oven warming frozen lasagna from last week for dinner.

Spread the topping over the fruit. Pat it gently until even.  Bake at 350 degrees F for about 40 minutes or until it's golden brown and the sides are bubbling. If you used apples, it may take a little longer for them to soften.

A scoop of rich vanilla ice cream made our sweet treat hit the spot!

If you have lots of berries, you can cut down on the apples or eliminate them altogether. Fresh or thawed berries work equally well.  Crisps are very versatile.

What's cooking in your kitchen right now? -- Margy

Quarantine Cuisine: Crockpot Magic Meatloaf

My well loved cookbook.

Making so many meals at home right now, a crockpot comes in handy.  My Rival was a wedding present in 1971. I used it a lot while teaching in Bellflower. It's followed me through the years and now serves me well in our Powell River condo. It's such a classic that one is on exhibit in the Smithsonian.

The next Christmas I bought one for Mom. Now it's here in the Bellingham condo that used to be hers. With it I can continue to make some of my favourite recipes.

We love meatloaf and the crockpot makes it an easy meal to prepare. And it brings back wonderful memories of cooking here in the condo with Mom.

CROCKPOT MAGIC MEATLOAF

"( . . . it cooks while you loaf!)"

(Page 26 of the 1971 Rival Crockpot Cookbook)

Mom always added a touch of love.

Ingredients from the Cookbook:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 slices bread crumbed
1/2 small onion chopped
2 tablespoons green pepper chopped
2 tablespoons celery chopped
Ketchup topping

Mix the ingredients.

Changes I Made:

I omitted the green pepper
I used 1 stalk of celery with leaves chopped
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Garlic powder to taste
Ground black pepper to taste

To have leftovers for another meal, and a meal in the freezer, I doubled the recipe.

In the crockpot ready to cook.

Directions:

Coat the crockpot with vegetable oil spray.

Let bread dry overnight or in a warm oven. Break it up by hand into small crumbs. Stir in the chopped vegetables and seasonings.

Beat the egg and milk and pour over the bread crumb mixture to moisten.

Combine with the ground beef. This step is best done with clean, well washed hands.

Form the meat into a rounded loaf and place it in the bottom of the crockpot. Bake on high for one hour and then reduce to low for 6-8 hours. Top with ketchup if desired during the last hour. Check with a meat thermometer until the center reaches 155-160 degrees F.

Resting before slicing.

To complete my meal, I baked two potatoes and cook carrots with broccoli in the microwave. How are handling having more meals at home? Do you have some recipes to share? -- Margy

Quarantine Cuisine: Baked Lasagna

A large lasagna gives us one fresh and three frozen meals.

Wayne and I are still in self-isolation in our Bellingham condo, dreaming about our RV and float cabin. I'm not really complaining, we are safe, healthy and comfortable.

My parents were educators. Dad was an assistant principal and Mom taught first grade. They left early and stayed late. Fixing weekday dinners from scratch was difficult. That's why they cooked on weekends and froze leftovers. I'm using their strategy now to increase variety and reduce cooking chores.

Fixing a large lasagna fit the criteria. I started by making a batch of Daddy's Special Sauce. Like Daddy taught me, I use a "dump and pour" method. Here's what I did. If you want a more trusted recipe try The Best Lasagna Recipe at Simply Recipes.

Baked Lasagna

Ingredients:

Assembling the sauce, I like lots of extra spices.

Daddy's Special Sauce
1 24-oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes
2 8-oz cans tomato sauce
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 cup water (more if needed to thin)
1 package spaghetti sauce mix
2 tablespoons Italian herbs crushed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion diced
5 cloves garlic minced
2 stalks celery chopped
1 pound mushrooms sliced
1 pound mild ground Italian sausage
1/2 pound ground beef

8 lasagna noodles boiled

Grate the mozzarella and prepare ricotta mix first.

Cheese Filling:
1 15-oz ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup canned or frozen spinach
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian herbs crushed

1 16-oz package mozzarella cheese grated

1 extra cup grated mozzarella for topping

Directions:

Prepare the cheeses first. Grate the mozzarella and set aside. Put the ricotta, Parmesan, garlic powder, and Italian herbs in a bowl. Squeeze out liquid from spinach and chop. Add to the bowl, mix everything well and set it aside.

After the sauce is prepared, cook and add the meats.

Start the sauce by mixing spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, water, spaghetti sauce mix, Italian herbs and garlic powder in a large pot and heat on low. I use water to get the last bits of tomato goodness out of the cans and add that to the sauce. As it cooks, you will probably need to add more water to thin the sauce.

In a frying pan a little at a time, saute onion, garlic, celery and mushrooms in olive oil until softened. Add to the sauce.

Crumble Italian sausage into a frying pan. Cook until done, drain and add to the sauce. Do the same with the ground beef. Let sauce simmer to blend flavours.

My assembly line on the stove.

Heat water to boiling in a large pan with a dash of salt and a dollop of oil. I used my frying pan. Boil four whole lasagna noodles until pliable.

Coat a large deep baking dish with cooking spray to reduce sticking. Put in enough sauce to cover the bottom of the dish.

Overlap the four boiled noodles on top of the sauce. Add another layer of sauce on top of the noodles.

Next add the ricotta cheese mixture followed by the grated mozzarella cheese.

Adding the cheese layers over at the sink.

Boil four more noodles until pliable.

Add another layer of sauce on top of the cheese and overlap the last four noodles on top.

Top the noodles with enough sauce to cover them to prevent drying out.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour or until bubbly around the edges. Add the extra cup of mozzarella cheese on top and continue to heat until it is melted.

Remove from the over and let it sit for 15 minutes before cutting.

Finally sauce, more noodles and more sauce.

If you used my list of ingredients, you will have sauce left over.  I froze mine in meal-size containers for future spaghetti dinners.

This recipe made enough lasagna for the two of us for dinner, three frozen meals and frozen spaghetti sauce for two more meals.

The initial cost for ingredients was high, but when you stretch it out over multiple meals it's more economical. Plus, one day's work resulted in six nights with minimal preparation. Now that's the way to go if you ask me. -- Margy